


The Other Side

by haikuhamster



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Alternate Universe - Medieval, Destiel - Freeform, Elf Castiel, Fluff and Smut, Knight Dean, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-06-21
Updated: 2017-08-08
Packaged: 2018-07-16 13:03:55
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,774
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7269469
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/haikuhamster/pseuds/haikuhamster
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In an attempt to escape the mess of his home, the young elf Castiel found himself in the human lands. Luckily, a jackass Knight by the name of Dean Winchester is the right kind of caring.</p><p>Inspired by s8e11, with a kind of medieval feel but also elves and orcs and stuff because I'm a sucker for those themes. Complete AU-- I don't think I'll be giving any spoilers beyond personalities (I'll try to keep those similar to the characters in the show).</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I can't quite give too much background on the characters themselves without spoilers, but I can talk about classes and creatures from the lowest up.
> 
> Orcs- Huge, gnarly, irritable, every-being-for-themself mentality. Not often seen outside borders in peace-time.
> 
> Humans- Peasants are often homeless but tend to group together and share. Often kind, not as angry as they're perceived be. If not homeless, likely rural farm-folk with big families. Self-sufficient out of necessity. Knights are usually peasant volunteers who only join the knighthood to sustain themselves or others. Looked upon somewhat highly by others, but down by some. Commoners work for money or resources, living around markets in small houses. Royalty rules the human boundaries sparsely, only really stepping in when completely necessary. Otherwise simply reaping benefits of taxes and status.
> 
> Dwarves- Drunkard comedians, but very capable warriors if need be.
> 
> Elves- Highest beings. Strong fighters, wise, patient. Strong sense of kinship, but stronger sense of clan-safety. Not very individual. Rarely go outside of boundaries.

Castiel, weighed down only by his blade, ran from the forest as fast as he could. It was late at night and the moon was dim enough that he couldn't be seen, but he needed to run so far that even if he changed his mind he wouldn't have a choice. He was already second guessing. The burning in his lungs and the sound of crunching rocks were very quickly weakening his resolve. But the small fire he saw, even with the few creatures gathered near it, was enough to keep him going. To the fire he went, cursing himself for looking back knowing he wouldn't see anything important.

As he neared the fire, he slowed to a stop and hid behind a waist-height clump of bushes as he listened to the odd voices he could hear. Their language was different than his, but not unfamiliar. He searched his mind for a moment, before placing it as human tongue. He'd learned it as a child from his older brother Gabriel, who'd hoped that Castiel would become the next colony leader. Gabriel was likely going to be very disappointed when he woke up.

"Hey!" Castiel's thoughts were interrupted by a shout aimed in his direction. "Don't be shy, I see you out there! Come on out!"

Castiel slowly rose from the presumed shelter of the bushes. He held his blade at the ready as he slowly took a few steps towards the light of the fire. He only then noticed how cold the night felt upon the parts of skin he left bare. He wanted to be near the warmth, but the shared interest on the three faces lit by the flames was discomforting. They became more obviously human the closer he came.

One of the humans had chest-length hair and a relatively small frame. Its body was petite, and it didn't seem to be of any danger. Its eyes were trained on him, filled with excitement and wonder. It smiled as he looked it over, cheeks creating broad lines facing away from its nose.

To its left was a human with a much larger body, and hair cut to its cheekbones in the front and further down to its shoulders in the back, framing its chiseled face nicely. It looked at Castiel with curiosity in its eyes, seemingly studying him.

To the left of this human was one shaped more similarly to him- certainly muscular but not as broad as the being to its right. Its hair was short and pointed upwards, and dots were spread across its nose and cheeks. As Castiel noticed the stubble around its jaw similar to his own, the human smirked slightly, pulling Castiel's gaze to green eyes brightened by flames.

"You gonna keep staring all night or are you gonna sit?" it said, ignoring the scolding look the large one gave it. Castiel cautiously stepped forward towards the fire, tightening the grip on his sword. He knew humans weren't of any danger to him, being a trained warrior, but he also knew it was best for his sake to seem intimidating.

"You can sit anywhere you want," chimed the small human in a feminine voice. He recognized the voice as a softer tone of the one which yelled to him a few minutes prior. It gestured to a few empty parts of stone and wood where he could sit, and he decided silently to sit as far from the three humans as possible while still feeling the pleasant heat of the fire. The petite human held out its hand, stating, "My name's Charlie. And you are?"

"Castiel," he said, as the human named Charlie awkwardly dropped its hand. He looked to the other two, not wanting to directly ask them for their names. It'd been a long night, and he didn't feel like speaking. Especially in human tongue, with how weird it felt hearing it in his own voice.

"Winchester. Dean Winchester," said the one with green eyes. Its voice was gruff, but fitting to its appearance. "This is my little brother, Sam."

"Little?" Castiel asked, as Sam clearly appeared larger. Sam and Charlie both chuckled, Sam giving a low snort which earned it a punch to the arm from Dean, despite the fact that Dean's lips were pulling into a small smile as well.

"He's an orc, yeah. But I'm four years older." Dean smirked again, but this time at Sam. Castiel froze, staring at Sam with wide eyes. He walked into a gathering of two humans and an orc? Castiel cursed under his breath in Elven, gripping his sword tightly once more.

"Shit, wait," stuttered Sam, his voice both high and low in different ways. "I'm not actually an orc. Dean and I are both human men and Charlie is a human woman. You can check us if you want."

Castiel closed his eyes, taking a deep breath. He nodded in acceptance of the offer, despite believing him. Sam pulled the collar of his chest-cloth down, revealing a black star inside of circle with flames surrounding it, marking him human. Charlie repeated the motion when Castiel's eyes reached her, showing the same mark. Dean opted to lift his shirt up with a fist, displaying not only his mark, but many others upon the well-built man. He was covered in scars, all scattered in different shapes and sizes.

Charlie looked at Castiel curiously for a moment before tapping the location of her mark, implying he show his. He lifted his shirt and turned away from them, showing them the wings marking his back. She looked shocked when he turned back around. "What the hell are you? That wasn't anything I've seen before, and you seem a little off."

He cocked an eyebrow at her, having assumed it was obvious. "Elf," he said simply. "And if anything, you are the ones who seem to be abnormal. Elves have been around for eons. Your kind have been around for millennium. You're practically historical infants."

The group looks at him, shocked. Sam was the first to speak up. "Elves are real?" Castiel simply rolled his eyes, having heard that humans didn't know of his kind but always assuming it to be a rumour. "Holy shit. You're not kidding. How do you know our language then?"

"I was taught. My kind values education." Not a lie, but not the exact reason.

"Ours doesn't. We value shiny things and land," Dean chimed in. "And you two," he looked to Sam and Charlie. "Lay off the guy. He's an entirely new species to you, yeah, but he just got here and he's got a sword. Drop the full-scale interrogation for now." He looked to Castiel again and gestured with his head towards a rectangular pile of hay with a sheet of cloth laying atop it. "You'll thank me later. You can sleep there if you want, because I'm assuming you sleep and that's not some human thing."

Castiel smiled for once, letting a hint of warmth out. He suddenly felt very tired, as if on cue. It'd been a long night. "Thank you, Dean." He ignored the protests of Sam and Charlie as he nodded to them and began to stand. His legs felt weak, and with every movement he felt more pain.

He must have seemed obvious about it, because Dean was immediately walking to his side, mumbling a "come on man I gotcha" while he wrapped one arm around Castiel's body under the elf's shoulder and used the other arm of his own to put Castiel's now-lifted arm behind Dean's neck onto his muscular shoulder. He practically carried Castiel's body to the quasi-bed, helping him to plant his rear safely on it when they arrived.

"You good, Legolas?" Dean said as Castiel laid himself down, pulling the sheet over himself. Charlie attempted to suppress a giggle, failing miserably.

"I don't understand that reference," he stated. Dean looked to Sam and Charlie, and the three of them shrugged in understanding. While Dean walked back to the circle of seats around the fire, Castiel answered. "But, yes, I should be healed by morning. I sense I've overused the muscles in my legs and garnered some minor scratches, but I can simply aim my power there." He ignored the confused looks.

"Well, uh, night... Castiel," Charlie said with feigned cheer. "Sleep well!"

He bid them each good night, trying to focus on the stars and voices and not the panic in his head. His mind told him they could kill him. Or he could end up not healing quick enough. Or someone in the clan could wake early and see that he's left. They were bound to notice eventually. But if they noticed late he'd have a chance to travel further from the boundaries.

He allowed sleep to grasp him just as he allowed his emotions 4 hours prior. The sunrise was likely only a few hours away.

Castiel slept, but he didn't dream.


	2. Chapter 2

When Castiel awoke, the sky was bright. Where he laid wasn't very comfortable, and it was certainly off-putting as he realized that it wasn't his hollow. This wasn't where he was supposed to have slept. The light of the sun wasn't filtered through leaves, and his tree didn't feel so... pointy.

The memories hit him like a hurricane. He left the previous night. He was no longer in the forest. He met three humans last night. They had names, but Castiel couldn't remember. He couldn't think with a mind so full of regret. He wanted to go home again. He was stupid.

His thoughts were interrupted by his sudden awareness to the two moderately familiar voices speaking back and forth. They were arguing in jagged whispers, and Castiel heard his name and "elf" a few times. Were they arguing about whether or not to kill him? Or take him prisoner to find out about his clan?

"We can't just leave him, Sammy, he's got nowhere to go! What if somebody else found him? They could hurt him, or worse. You know how Cain is. We could take him to Bobby's, and he'd be safe there as long as he doesn't break anything or attack."

"What makes you think Bobby would take in an elf? You're not thinking, Dean. You can't just waltz in there like, 'Hey Bobby, surprise! We've got a completely different species for you to keep safe! His name is Castiel, we know nothing about him and have no clue if he's gonna kill you. Good luck!'"

"Then what do you propose we do? What's your bright idea? Go ahead, I'm listening. Oh yeah. You don't have one! I'm taking him to Bobby's the second he's on his feet."

"Dean, will you just listen-"

"Shut up, Sammy-"

"I just think we should-"

"He's awake."

The two men looked to Castiel, who simply raised a hand in greeting. He'd sat up during their argument, likely prompting Dean's notice of him. Sam waved in return, looking uncomfortable. Dean just looked away, dragging a hand over his face and mumbling "son of a bitch" just loud enough for Castiel to make out.

"From what I've heard, I think it's best if you warn Bobby prior and speak with him about taking me in, if that's what you've decided upon. I can stay here and take care of myself for now."

Dean flashed a smug look at Sam and slapped a palm on the bigger man's shoulder. "I'll go let Bobby know about Cas. You stay here and make sure he's not gonna slice our heads off." Sam sighed, but stopped his protests as Dean walked towards a group of buildings.

"Good morning, Castiel," Sam said, not as grimly as expected of him given the last few minutes of arguing. He sat next to Castiel, continuing, "I'm pretty sure you caught the jist of that, but we're gonna take you to Bobby's house until we can figure out a better place for you to stay. My place is already shared with my girlfriend, and Dean and Charlie are pretty messy in both of theirs so I'm pretty sure you don't wanna stay with either of them. Bobby has enough supplies and empty space to keep you satisfied until we've got a plan. He's trustworthy too, so you'll be in good hands."

"So why don't you want me there?" Castiel didn't miss Sam's sigh, almost sad at this but expecting it either way.

"Bobby raised me and Dean. He's not our dad, but he's always been the closest thing we've ever had. I just feel bad that we keep asking him for stuff to this day. And don't take this like you're a burden, because you're not, but I just really don't know how to repay him, y'know?"

"You feel guilty," Castiel stated, not asking a question. He'd felt the same any time he asked his brothers for anything after he came of age.

Sam scoffed out a laugh, and added, "You could say that. He always says it's fine, though, so I try not to annoy him."

"Well, I appreciate the sentiment of you and your brother trying to help, but I should probably get going already. My clan will be looking for me. I don't want to put you in any danger, and my family isn't exactly the most peaceful group." He thought to the recent battles, most of which pointless. His family was in shambles.

"Where would you go? The forest again?" Sam asked. Before Castiel could answer, Dean arrived with a scruffy human by his side.

"Bobby, this is Castiel. Castiel, this is Bobby. He just wants to meet you and make sure you're not anything to be scared of." Bobby sized him up with his eyes, looking all along Castiel's body and attire.

"You really an elf, boy?" Bobby asked, his accent a drawl.

"Yes, but I won't be needing your service. I'll be leaving," Castiel replied simply.

"Wait, where?" Dean repeated Sam's earlier query.

"I don't know, wherever trails lead me. Do you have an idea of where I could go?"

"There ain't nowhere out there you'd be safe," Bobby chimed.

"South of here is an endless ocean, east is dwarf territory, west is orcs, and north is uninhabitable forest. Well, we thought it was, until you came from it," Sam explains.

"I'd put you in danger by staying here." Castiel looked to Sam pleadingly.

"Don't you think your family would assume that's what you'd think? They'd assume you'd move on to orc territory just because they're the equivalent of feral animals and you know they'd kill them anyway," was the response.

"Yeah, stay here. That way everybody is safer," Dean chimed. Castiel looked to the three men before him, seeing no deception or harsh intent.

"I suppose it would be wise to stay until I have a plan," he sighed.

Dean smiled. "Awesome. I'll show you your room, come on." He patted Castiel's shoulder, turning to drag him away towards a two-story house with the other two following.

When they reached the house, Dean opened the door and held it for the other three. As soon as the door opened, Castiel smelt alcohol and nature. Sam and Bobby both headed to the room with a long seat facing a black box, and they sat on the seat. Dean turned Castiel's attention to a staircase with a gesture to walk up it.

When they scaled the stairs, Dean went over the rooms as they walked down the hall. "That's Sam's room right there. There's my room, and you can come in whenever you need anything. There's the bathroom. This-" He stopped at the end of the hall, opening the door to a room separated to his own by a single wall.

"-is your room."

They both walked in, Dean shutting the door behind them. The bed in the center was relatively large. Next to it was a table with a plank of wood on every side, and the front had two handles. Other than that, the room was next to bare.

Dean pulled a handle on the front of the nightstand, revealing some basic black shirts, black jeans, black socks and black shorts. "There's some clothes for you. They're my size, but I think they'll work. Sorry about the black, by the way, it's just easier to get."

"Thank you, Dean," Castiel said, looking up at him before pulling his tattered shirt off. Dean looked away for a moment, then returned his gaze to Castiel's body at the sight of dried blood and bruises.

"What happened?" Dean asked, pointing at the injuries.

"I ran through the forest."

"Why?"

"I felt it necessary."

Dean sat on the bed next to Castiel. "No, none of this twenty questions shit. Tell me why you ran, because a wild guess says you wouldn't be here if you didn't."

"There's been an... argument... among my brothers. Just power plays, trying to be higher. One took it too far. The clan is now taking sides, and brawls take place daily. Someone lit my hollow on fire, and I got sick of it."

"Whose side are you on?"

"Nobody's, but I suppose that makes me the worst off. All of my brothers are prideful, taking lack of support as support for the enemy."

"That's bullshit. I get why you wanna leave. You've got me though, if it helps. I have no family bias, I've only got you. You're safe."

Castiel smiled a little, and Dean patted his shoulder before standing up. "I'm gonna let you get dressed. If you have any problems, get me, okay?"

"Thank you, Dean."

Castiel looked to the clothes, deciding immediately that he didn't have a clue what to do with anything but the shirt.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for all the wait! I really wanna get to the smut but I devoted myself to plot. Meanwhile, though, I wrote two other smut fics so that was fun. Hope they make up for the lateness and shortness of this. Next chapter though, I promise a bit of sexual tension. I've got plans for the first sex part though.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Holy shit, it's been a while. Here's 3k in order to (sorta) make up for it. More will come eventually.

Castiel knocked on the wall adjacent to Dean's wall almost immediately. After a moment, his own door was being opened again.

"Yes?" Dean said, looking more amused than annoyed.

"I don't know what to do."

"About?" the man said, walking in and shutting the door behind him once again.

"These," Castiel pointed to the clothes in the table. "I only know what the shirt is."

"Ah, you guys don't have these do you?" Dean walked over to the table, pulling out a cloth shaped like a lower body. "These are pants, they go on your legs. These-" he pulled out a cloth with shorter legs. "-are boxers. They go on under your pants. These-" he pulled out round foot shaped cloths. "-are socks. They go on your feet. Got all that?"

"Not particularly," Castiel replied, sincerely lost. How would you put something on under another thing? And why layer anyway?

Dean sighed, shaking his head. "God... Don't you dare tell Sam or Bobby I did this. They ask, you dressed yourself."

Dean grabbed the boxers off the bed where he'd placed them. His face flushed slightly as he looked over Castiel's body. "Turn around, it'll make this easier on me. Take off your skirt."

Castiel did as he was told, adding "It's a kilt of buckskin, not a skirt" before he took it off.

"Yeah, whatev-" Dean's breath audibly hitched, causing the elf to look to him in concern. He found the human staring at him, before quickly shouting his gaze to Castiel's eyes, then at the floor. "I'm gonna, uh, put these on. Lift your foot up a little bit- fuck." Castiel lifted his left leg as instructed. Dean dropped to his knees, looking as though it was difficult for him to focus.

The human crawled over on his knees and pulled the boxers partway up one leg from behind, tapping his other leg in signal to lift it. He pulled the boxers up slowly, his face flushing a bright pink. Castiel noticed how plentiful the dots on his face seemed, given the flush that now adorned his cheeks.

Dean pulled the cloth far away from Castiel's body when he reached his penis, barely allowing it to brush it until he reached his hips. Then, the human let out a deep breath, as though he'd been holding it in for a while.

"Now, uh... Do that. But with these." Dean quickly stood and retrieved the pants, shoving them into Castiel's arms.

Castiel stared at them for a moment, but with a glance at Dean, he began to attempt what Dean had done. He moved to lift his foot and pull them on, and lost his balance quickly. He thankfully caught himself and remained standing, though not through lack of effort on part of the pants.

He attempted to lift his foot again and put it through the leg, thankfully having more luck this time. That is, until Dean immediately stopped him.

"Wait a sec, buddy. You're doing it right, but it's facing the wrong way. Step out, turn them around, and do that again." Castiel glared at him wordlessly, but nonetheless did as told.

By the time he'd got one leg in, he was lost. How was he to get the other leg into the tube if he couldn't fly? What's worse, Dean replied to his troubled query with laughter.

"Sit on the bed, Cas," Dean said with a charming grin. "You don't need to fly to put on pants."

Castiel hobbled over indignantly, not giving Dean the gift of words this time. The man just chuckled again and pulled the tube up Castiel's left leg until his foot was exposed to the air. He then pulled the other tube up Castiel's right leg, following the motion.

"Up," Dean commanded, tapping Castiel's upper thigh for emphasis. Castiel stood, and the blush returned to Dean's cheeks, though subtler this time. He pulled the pants over Castiel's penis much the same as he did with the boxers, but this time more efficiently.

"Alright, I'm not doing your socks for you," Dean said, after he'd finished and stood up. "You do the same thing I just did, but just stretch the fabric until it covers your feet, okay? You can ask questions, but I want you to do it yourself."

"You don't have to treat me like a child," Castiel replied. Dean rolled his eyes and Castiel glared at him. He grabbed the socks anyway, attempting to gather the right angle for it. Eventually, he held it against the side of his foot and the shape was similar, so he looked at Dean expectantly. The man smiled and held up one thumb, which was an odd gesture, but humans were odd in general. Castiel decided to ignore it, in favor of pulling the sock on.

He pulled the other one on next, and Dean hit his shoulder with a grin. "Nice one, bud!" Castiel decided also to ignore the physical gesture that came with how words, opting for a smile. "Put the shirt on and I'll show you around town."

He'd forgotten about the shirt. He quickly threw it on, noting that it was comfortable. The act was familiar, at least. They began walking out of the tavern, and a through somewhat busy marketplace. Castiel turned to Dean and asked, "Human clothing is odd. Why do you feel as though you need so much?"

Dean looked confused, but surely it wasn't so odd of a question. "I don't know, man... It's just kinda... How we do things? Lavish clothes are a bit of a status symbol."

Castiel looked at his own clothing then, and back to Dean. The man wore chainmail over a red and black tunic. He had black jeans as well, and some sort of thick leather socks. "What do my clothes reveal about my status?"

Dean laughed. "It says you're not from here, that's for sure." He threw an arm around Castiel's shoulder as they walked. "You look human enough, outside of the ears, so maybe you could be from one of the more rural areas, farmlands. But you also don't look to be a peasant. So if I didn't know you, I'd guess that you were a merchant, or the son of one."

Castiel looked back over his own clothes and Dean's. "And what does your clothing say about you?"

"That I'm a Knight." Dean gestured to his side, at a sheathed blade. "Of the Royal army. Sir Winchester of Lawrence." He said the latter words with an accent, a posh dialect that seemed to be of southern lands.

Castiel looked to Dean's blade once more, then remembered himself. He stopped in his tracks and looked to Dean. "Where's my blade?"

"Hey, calm down," Dean replied, sensing Castiel's rising panic. "I sent it off with Charlie, do you remember her? The girl from last night. She's a blacksmith for the Royal Guard, I figured she could keep it safer than any of us could."

"Take me to her," Castiel demanded. "Now."

Dean raised his eyebrows and smiled gently. "She's right at the end of the road. I was gonna take you there once I finished showing you this side of town, but if you wanna skip all that it's alright."

Castiel suddenly felt sheepish. Dean wasn't incapitating him, he was trying to be kind. "No, do as you'd planned. I'm sorry."

Dean hit his shoulder and grinned. "Don't worry about it, man. I feel naked without a sword too, couldn't imagine being in a strange place without it."

They continued walking now, Dean pointing to buildings left and right. "That's the butcher, he's pretty testy but he means well. That's the brothel, you know what to do with that. That right there is the King's study, where he hires smart kids to research whatever he wants them to. And here's the blacksmith-"

"Owned by the greatest red-haired female in all the 5 kingdoms," Charlie interrupted, with a grin. "How's it hanging, elf-boy?"

Castiel looked at her blankly for a moment, then decided to ignore the confusing question. Humans are odd. "Where is my sword?"

"Quick and to the point, I like it." Charlie grinned and ushered him inside, where he immediately saw what he was looking for. He grabbed it and unsheathed it, relief washing over him. It was untouched.

"Thank you for keeping it safe. I should be going now." Castiel bowed his head and turned to leave. He heard Dean tell Charlie to stay, then footsteps rapidly approaching.

"What the hell, man?" Dean yelled. "I thought we agreed you'd be staying."

" _You_ agreed. I said I would stay until I had a plan," Castiel argued.

"Oh yeah?" Dean pulled Castiel to a stop. "What's your plan, huh? Walk until you find somewhere you might be able to get out of alive?"

"Yes." He continued walking, rolling his eyes when Dean followed him.

"That's stupid and you know it. You wouldn't last a day out there alone, and you'd be found right quick anyway."

"I'm an elf, you damned baseborn," Castiel growled. "I can handle myself."

"Like hell!" Peope looked over after Dean's shout, attention drawn to the arguing men. "You're gonna get yourself killed if you keep up this sanctimonious crap, considering obviously you have no idea how the world works. Staying here is the only chance you got, you pompous fuck. Get off your high horse and let yourself relax long enough to actually strategize."

Castiel let Dean finish his rant, his anger deepening with each insult. He met Dean's gaze for a moment, then swiftly drew his blade and pointed it at the human.

Dean's eyes went wide, but his shock was quickly replaced with fury. He drew his own blade, longer and thinner than Castiel's, and held it in an on-guard position. Castiel swung his blade at Dean's left shoulder, and the man countered him, attempting to twist his blade away. Castiel held onto it tightly though, and managed to move his body away to attack again. He raised his sword above his head this time, and swiftly brought it down to brain the human.

Dean danced out of the way and sliced his sword towards Castiel's gut, the elf narrowly jumping back in time. Dean took the opening to go for his sword once more, but Castiel moved his arm right and down to avoid it. He placed himself in a fool's guard and waited for Dean to attack again, hoping to make a riposte.

The man took the bait and Castiel aimed for his leg, not expecting Dean's move to grapple him. He quickly used the opening to slam the hilt of his sword into Dean's chest, knocking the wind from his lungs and causing him to drop his blade. Dean fell to his knees and Castiel pressed the tip of his blade to the human's throat.

"You will not disrespect me, boy," he spoke evenly. "If I am to stay it will be because I wish to, not because I bow to a foolish human knight. Know your place."

Dean met his eyes, face void. "If you want to kill me, do it."

"No," Castiel replied. He sheathed his blade and held out a hand to help Dean up again. "Come on."

"No yourself," Dean snarled, slapping the hand away. "Sorry, but you're not leaving on my watch."

Castiel rolled his eyes and grabbed Dean's shirt collar to yank him up. "Why do you care, human?"

Dean huffed and shoved his hands away again, but remained standing. "Because you're vulnerable." He obviously saw that Castiel was about to protest, because his next words came quick. "No, don't you give me that. You know you're easy prey. You're underfed, exhausted, stressed, and so pumped full of repressed emotions you're damn near bursting. It's my job to protect those in danger, and right now you're it. I don't know why you're running, but you wouldn't want to leave a safe space like this if you felt safe."

"That doesn't answer my question. You know I'm not safe, yet you keep me here."

"Let me ask you a question, Castiel. If you were in charge of finding where an elf in your situation would've gone, where would you think they'd go?"

"The orc-lands. As far away from home as you can get without being ripped to shreds by Leviathan."

"Exactly. That's where they think you are. Not here, in podunk nowhere with little to no protection in comparison to what you've probably got up in the forest. You're safer here than you would be anywhere else."

"I could go to the-"

"No, you can't. The dwarves would enslave you on sight. A pretty thing like you, all full of fight? You'd be a sex toy for an alpha-male prick willing to shell out the right amount of cash. That's a fate worse than death, if you ask me."

Castiel stood silent, looking at Dean and finding only pleading and anger. He was right. Castiel closed his eyes and dropped his head. "Take me outside of town, somewhere I can stay and remain safe while we formulate a plan. I'll stay in these lands, but I don't want to be a liability on the owner of the tavern."

Dean's face was pleased immediately, though he obviously tried to hide it. He couldn't hide the satisfied look in his eyes, but Castiel close to ignore it. It would be better to let him have his moment, lest he decide to use it against Castiel later.

"You're no problem to Bobby, I promise. I don't know of anywhere outside the main city you could go, but there's a panic room under the tavern. I like to stay there most of the time, but you can check it out. C'mon."

Castiel and Dean began walking again, the elf's head reeling. That was all pointless. A stupid fight for Castiel to prove he could hold his own, all for him to drop his stance at a few words from the one human who he's even slightly comfortable around. Dean could be using him for some agenda.

Castiel vaguely registered Dean's voice calling out into the tavern when they arrived, and the sound of heavy footsteps upon a metal stairwell. He'd only walked on stairs of wood or stone before.

"-paranoid bastard had a weekend off. Bobby's quite a guy." Castiel blinked and reality came into focus again, Dean's voice filtering in. It probably wasn't important.

"I thought you had a room. Why would you stay here?" Dean chuckled, no doubt guessing Castiel ignored everything he just said on favor of asking an irrelevant question.

"It gets loud sometimes, out there. And sometimes I like to be alone." He smiled sadly.

Castiel narrowed his eyes. "You think you deserve to be alone sometimes." It wasn't a question, but Dean still shrugged. "Who is it?"

Dean raised his eyebrows and looked at the elf. "Who's what?"

"Who made you feel like that?" Castiel prodded. "Creatures aren't born hating themselves. It's taught, by themselves or others. You were taught by another. Who is it?"

Dean huffed again and stared at the wall. "Myself, though maybe just because I was raised knowing things weren't okay around me. I've killed a lot of things, man. Done things I regret, but laughed while I did them. I'll always be the hellhound that tortures souls."

Castiel's words betrayed him, so he simply looked at Dean. What he saw was not pain, sorrow, or self-pity. It was resignation. That hurt more than it should've.

"Perhaps my time here has softened me," Castiel spoke, gently. "For I see you not as evil, but broken."

"I'm not broken," Dean shot back. "And I may not be evil but I'm definitely not good either."

"That's a lie," Castiel asserted. "You know it's a lie. If you weren't good you'd have no remorse for what you've done. If you did not have reason you wouldn't see it as such a trivial matter. If you were anything but righteous you wouldn't feel such a soul-deep regret."

Dean chuckled bitterly. "Is that how you Northerners see it?" He leveled Cas with a glare. "Because I hear your people wear the title of 'murderer' like a badge of honor."

Castiel struggled not to lash out. He sat still on the bed for a moment and regained his breath before he replied. "I honor no man who kills for the sake of pride. To take a life without reason is ample justification to lose your own."

Dean looked at him, and Castiel realized how angry he sounded. But the man chuckled and shook his head. With his eyes closed and his head down, he softly said, "It's a good thing you're not in power."

Castiel smiled as well. Dean didn't know the half of it. "It most certainly is."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hate slow burns, so they're gonna crack and fuck soon. Romantic attraction will probably come later, but for now they're acquaintances who sorta hate each other but are sorta starting to care about each other but REALLY wanna slam each other into walls and play tonsil hockey. Next chapter may bring more world-building or something, I'm not sure yet where I wanna go with this.

**Author's Note:**

> I'll post whenever I can, please feel free to comment anything you think about it! I hope you enjoyed!


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